“Pitch Dark” is the most twisted, most shocking installment in Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch Mystery Series.

For my complete review, please see the August edition of Gumshoe Review at www..gumshoereview.com.

Joseph B. Hoyos

This is the fifteenth book in a series about Game Warden Mike Bowditch, but was easily a fun read for me as a stand alone. He’s a game warden investigator in Maine, so the scenery and setting of the book is gorgeous enough to enjoy this read.
Mike gets tangled up with the builder of his good friend, bush pilot Josie Johnson. Things just don’t add up, and when a stranger who came looking for the builder disappears, Mike must step in. The builder, Mark Redmond, is a highly skilled craftsman, but there's something not quite right with him. His 12- year old daughter, Cady is a force to be reckoned with on her own. As Mike gets deeper into the mystery, close friends pay the price, and Mike has no clue what’s ahead for him.
This is a fast-paced crime thriller that doesn’t turn you loose until the very end.
Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is June 25, 2024.

I am a huge fan of the Mike Bowditch series, and I'm always excited to read what Warden Bowditch has gotten himself into this time. This installment in the series was no exception. It's a definitely a thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.

This was a fantastic addition to the series! I liked that it was in a new, remote location and allowed me to experience a new place. I thought it was unique and so fun to read! I can’t wait for the next in the series. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Paul is an excellent author and I am hesitant to give a complete review for 2 reasons. The first being he is a Maine author and I want to support Maine authors at every turn. The second is this is the first book in the Mike Bowditch series I have read and though I liked the book, I wasn't familiar with the characters. But, if I had to offer a criticism; it would be too much manhunt, not enough mystery. It didn't feel like we were solving a crime but just chasing a bad guy. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this book and I look forward to the next.

This is the fifteenth book in the Mike Bowditch Mystery series but it’s the first one I’ve read. Typically, if a book is part of a series, I find it’s usually much better if you’ve read the previous books. However, I didn’t have too much trouble adapting to the story line of Pitch Dark, even though I sometimes had a feeling I was missing some of the backstory.

Overall, I enjoyed Pitch Dark and the plot certainly held my interest. Now and then the dialogue seemed a bit mundane, even though the characters are an interesting lot. The story is set up so that it reads a little like the Perils of Pauline, with something unexpected around every tree. While this certainly ramped up the tension, it also become a bit too predictable. And my goodness, how much abuse can one person take in just a day or two. That stretched my imagination immensely so I just ignored the question.

If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced story with a twisty plot, this could be the book or series you’re looking for. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

I didn't know I need the Mike Bowditch series in my life up until this point, but it is obvious I do!
When I saw Pitch Dark (book #15 in the series) by Paul Dorion I knew I had been wanting to give it a try for a while and the book just works for me, it has all of the elements that I love in a thriller. I went out and bought the first book in the series Poacher's Son right after finishing Pitch Dark.
There's excitement, twists and turns and lots of nature elements, a strong sense of place at the Maine/Quebec border and I read it from end to end in just a day. I could not stop, and I'll be reading more of the Mike Bowditch series in the near future!
I loved Warden Mike Bowditch who knows his land and his training and tries to use those, to keep himself safe.
He's a quick thinker but the situation he enters deep in the Maine woods does not allow for easily recognizing who is hunter and who is prey what is clear is that a man and his daughter are hiding off grid in the woods and are about to be discovered, whether their lifestyle is legitimately chosen or they are hiding for nefarious reasons is unclear to Bowditch but he does know he needs to talk to them when the man looking for them goes missing. Suddenly it seems like a lot of people are looking for each other out in the woods...
The setting is almost a character itself. Maine at the beginning of May, after lots of rain, truly mud season.
The woods, the storms, the rain, the cold, the mud, the darkness! There are a lot of twists that I didn't see coming, and I loved it!
I highly recommend Pitch Dark - I loved it so much I went out and bought Poacher's Son, the first book in the Mike Bowditch series.

This book while well written dragged in multiple places. The story could have been told in half the pages which would have made it more compelling. I did enjoy the surprise twists to the story as well as the characters who were complex personalities. This book is definitely worth reading.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

This series just continues to get better and better. I enjoyed the praise for this one and how the story played out. Very well done.

Superlative mystery and storytelling; kept me reading non-stop
Oh. My. Word. I have never read anything by Paul Doiron before but now I want to read other mysteries involving North Maine woods Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch. Mike shares with the reader his feelings and thoughts before, during and after he makes his move. I felt like I was watching a very entertaining game of chess between two highly competitive players. One move here, one move there, then checkmate. Additionally, there are other characters who are on the hunt too who are just as intriguing.
Mike is following up on a missing person’s case when he falls into a much darker and deadlier incident. While searching for Hammond Pratt who is mysteriously throwing around money for information about a man and his little girl, Mike finds out about Mark Redmond and his little girl Cady. When things start to get scary, they will not let up until near the end. And then we will find the mother of all twists. I loved this story! It kept me captivated from beginning to end. The ending was amazing. If you like being held hostage by a book because it is so good, you will want to read this one. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley. Easily more than five stars.

I discovered the Mike Bowditch mystery series through a NetGalley read, and I've been hooked ever since. I jumped into the series in the middle, which is now at 15 with the release of Pitch Dark. At some point I want to go back and see the early days of Mike, the Maine game warden, but I've had no trouble reading these books as standalones. The thing I love about a series, though, is watching the development of both the main and side characters. And in this book Mike has a lot to contemplate. He may be a father-to-be, as yet unconfirmed.

Pitch Dark takes place in the back main woods, and yes, often in the dark. It is over a very short period of time (a day or two?) and the action is nonstop. Mike flies to a backwoods camp to search for a missing person, but soon he is on the trail of an elusive woodsmen and his daughter. There is a lot of gun violence in this book, and a pretty dark subject matter, but these details were not delved into so I didn't mind.

As always, I love the settings of these books and experiencing the life of the game warden in the wilds, on the hunt for a criminal. These books are page turners and quick reads, and Pitch Dark was no exception. I listened to the audio, which was enjoyable.

I rate this 4.25 and it's another great book from Paul Doiron!

Thank you to NetGalley, Paul Doiron, and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paul Doiron's latest Mike Bowditch thrillerPitch Dark (#15 in the series), set in the remote north woods of Maine near the Canadian border, offers up a perfect summer read for fans of wilderness adventure fiction. Game warden Bowditch asks his friend Josie Jonson to take him by helicopter to site where a man named Mark Redmond is building her a gorgeous log cabin in the woods. Someone has just offered a large amount of money to locate Redmond and his 12-year-old daughter Cady, and Bowditch is concerned for their safety. He enlists his father-in-law Charley to go with him. The cabin is everything advertised, Redmond is definitely not concerned about his safety, and before long the three visitors find themselves in mortal peril. The result is a wild cat-and-mouse chase through the Maine woods, complete with epic storm, many missteps on the part of our fearless hero, and several bodies. The book is propelled by a plethora of plot twists which kept me on my toes. What bothered me in spite of the good adventure story was Bowditch's hubris, and his failure to listen to good counsel along the way. Some of his choices were downright stupid and, given his experience, he should have known better. 3.5 out of 4. Many thanks to @minotaurbooks and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of Pitch Dark.

I was so excited to FINALLY get approved for a Mike Bowditch book (after several unsuccessful attempts over the years). And this one did not disappoint,

We have our favorite game warden Mike, newly married and facing a turning point in his relationship, when he suddenly gets a call, taking him and his beloved father in law, Charley, out into the remote wilderness of Maine to find a missing person and check on a reclusive father and daughter who seem to not want to be found.

This book was action packed, with everything taking place in 24-48 hours. The action was fast and furious and I kept turning pages late into the night. I thought it was fantastic and would absolutely recommend it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Well, this was my first Paul Doiron and Mike Bowditch book, and it definitely will not be my last. I went into this book having absolutely no idea that this was a a part of a series until I looked it up on Goodreads. This book works well as a standalone. You definitely do not need to read the other books in the series. You can go into this novel without having background knowledge. I can tell that if the other books are read you’d have a deeper understanding of the relationship between Mike, his wife, and his in-laws. You’d also get a background understanding on Mike’s father, as it is briefly mentioned in the book. But with the way he is offhandedly mentioned, you do get the jist of what has happened in the past.

This was a great thriller with lots of twists and turns. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and then when the reveal occurs- I’m like wtf?! I didn’t call it at all. The author does a great job of creating tense situations. The pacing was a little slow at first, but it ramped up fairly quickly. The writing is easy to read, fairly witty, and keeps you engaged. I enjoyed the characters that were introduced and the author does a great job of describing them in a way that you can grasp them and their motives without over explaining.

Overall, this is a fun quick read, and I’d recommend it to someone who wants something thrilling that they can read in one shot.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book for a honest review.

Mike Bowditch, a Maine game warden, becomes concerned when he learns a builder living in an isolated part of the country is homeschooling his 12 year old daughter., whom he never takes into town. He flies to the site, with his father-in-law Charley and friend, pilot Josie Jonson, to visit Josie's building site, where the two are based. The log cabin under construction is beautiful and Mike is impressed with the man's building and bush skills and with his daughter's obvious intelligence.

Mike is also searching for a missing man, who turns out to be a youtuber in search of a story. The man considers himself a bounty hunter and is on the trail of the mysterious builder and his daughter. He claims the man killed his wife and is hiding out under an assumed name. Bowditch wants to get to the bottom of it all and ends up finding the truth more complicated, and dangerous, than it appears.

When Mike, Charley, and Josie are taken captive, Mike manages to escape and ends up entangled with both American and Canadian authorities to set the matter straight. Can he save the girl? Does she need to be saved? This story takes some surprising twists and turns on the way to it's dramatic ending. Fans of Doiron and C. J. Box won't want to miss it!

Henry Leyva, narrator of other books in the Bowditch series, once again brings Mike to life.

Note: I listened to an audio book advance copy, courtesy of NetGalley.

Reading this book, I had no idea this was like the 15th or 16th book in a series. It can very easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone. Overall, I enjoyed this book. At first, it was a bit slow for me but the pacing really started to pick up towards the end and I was on the edge of my seat for a while. I knew kind of where this story was going but there were still some unexpected curveballs that I really enjoyed. Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers at SMP for the incredible opportunity to review an ARC of Pitch Dark.

This book series needs to be a television series. I love these books! I can even picture Jeremy Renner playing Mike Bowditch, even though he's not as tall, but I think he has the perfect intensity to play this character. And his in-laws, especially his father-in-law are excellent characters. His wife, Stacey, too. This book started with a simple check on an off-the-grid father and daughter and turned into an international incident. You must read this book!

Thank you to St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press- Minotaur Books, I was given this advanced reader's copy. This is the 15th book of a series that I had never heard of. However, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. Pitch Dark introduced me to Mike Bowditch, a game warden investigator, and takes place in the isolated northernmost region of Maine, near the Canadian border. Mike receives a call from one of the employees at the park, that someone who appears to be armed was asking about a father and daughter in the area that he was searching for and has just rented an ATV and taken off into the woods. Mike and his father-in-law Charley decide to go in search of this suspicious character because it is not ATV weather and they want to make sure this man doesn't run into or cause trouble.
Mike and Charley do not find this man but with the help of Josey, a local pilot, find the father/daughter duo who we find out are traveling under fake names. After drugging Mike, Charley, and Josey, the father, Paul Renaud, and his daughter Chloe, disappear. Mike then spends the rest of the book in pursuit of the two through the rough, dangerous, and freezing terrain.
The sense of place is strong and reminiscent of Peter Heller. The suspense is enough to keep the pages turning. Pitch Dark is what I consider an airport book. The kind of quick read you'd pick up before a flight to keep you entertained. I didn't like it enough to want to read the whole series but as a stand-alone, it was pretty good.

This is my first Paul Doiron book and while this is Mike Bowditch #15, I very much enjoyed this and will be going back and starting at book one. Given that I have not read any of the other books in this series, this book was done so well with enough information to fill in the gaps that it didn't feel like I was missing out on all the background information.

The immersive setting and gripping, fast-paced storyline captivated me from start to finish. Mike Bowditch emerges as a compelling protagonist, facing off against an adversary who is equally, if not more, skilled and experienced. Their intense cat-and-mouse game unfolds with surprising twists and turns that kept me on edge throughout.

The writing is sharp, the characters are convincingly portrayed with superb development, and the narrative brims with action and adventure, making it a truly thrilling read. However, I found myself wishing that Stacey had played a more active role in this installment.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the digital review copy and Macmillan Audio for ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!